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The Biscayne Brief · Morning

Heat Trim The Roster, Clock Now Runs To Opener

Four cuts finalize the roster while three regulars race Wednesday's deadline to be ready.

$209.1MPayroll above the apron line
By the Heat Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 18

Miami waived Gabe Madsen, Ezra Ausar, Bez Mbeng and Kylor Kelley on October 18, locking the roster three days before the opener. Bam Adebayo, Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith are all penciled in to return that same date, October 21 against Minnesota.

Heat Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Roster Set

Madsen, Ausar, Mbeng and Kelley are off the roster as of October 18. Ausar had just cleared an undisclosed issue a day earlier; none of the four factor into the regular-season plan. Spoelstra now has his group for Minnesota.

Deadline Health

Adebayo is sidelined with a right groin issue, Larsson with illness, Smith with a right calf issue — all three carry the same target return of October 21. That is the opener. No clearance has posted yet for any of them.

Giannis Cleared

Antetokounmpo cleared the health list on October 17, the latest step in managing him through the preseason close. He finishes exhibition play healthy, which matters more than any exhibition stat line at this point.

Money Watch

Miami's payroll sits at $209.1 million, above this season's apron line, with Giannis at $58.5 million and Adebayo at $49.8 million anchoring the book. Four fringe cuts do not move that number; the spending stays fixed through the opener and beyond.

Bottom Line

The roster is set. Whether it is the right 17 for Wednesday depends on three separate medical calls still unresolved, all due the same day the games start counting.

Who did the Heat waive on October 18?

Gabe Madsen, Ezra Ausar, Bez Mbeng and Kylor Kelley all left the roster that day, finalizing Miami's group ahead of the opener.

Will Bam Adebayo play in the season opener?

He is sidelined with a right groin issue and targeted to return October 21, the same date as the opener against Minnesota, but has not yet been cleared.

By the Heat Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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